Chapter 23
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Monster Batter
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The semi-final match against Busan High.
Mokdong Baseball Stadium.
For the promotion and development of youth baseball, a nationwide TV broadcast had been airing since the quarterfinals.
"Seomun High's starting pitcher, Song Hyun-jun, prepares to pitch."
Before kicking off a strikeout parade with three pitches each in the first inning,
the caster briefly introduced Hyun-jun's season stats.
"In three games this season, pitcher Song Hyun-jun has pitched 11 and 1/3 innings, securing 1 win, a perfect scoreless record, 21 strikeouts, and no hits allowed."
At caster Jeong Su-young's words, the young commentator sitting beside him looked somewhat surprised.
"It's a small sample size, but the stats are flawless. We'd need to look at the pitch-by-pitch breakdown, but on paper alone, these are numbers good enough to take over as Seomun High's ace in place of pitcher Shin Su-ho."
"Commentator Kim Dae-hyeong is looking forward to seeing pitcher Song Hyun-jun pitch."
Kim Dae-hyeong, the young commentator who had been treated like a superstar even during his playing days.
He had recently gained fame for his precise and easy-to-understand commentary, and he was handling the broadcast for this Blue Dragon Cup.
At the caster's joke, he smiled faintly and eyed the pitcher on the mound once more.
"Let's take a look."
Expectations were high.
Song Hyun-jun, the pitcher.
The fact that he had almost no records from his first- and second-year seasons meant he had only recently burst onto the scene.
"For Song Hyun-jun to take the mound as Seomun High's starter in the Blue Dragon Cup semifinals, with all-time greats like Shin Su-ho and Park Jin-woong holding down the fort, means his skills are no joke. Seomun High's manager, Lee Min-han—he was an incredible pitcher himself back in his playing days, wasn't he? Getting the nod from a guy like that makes me excited for Song Hyun-jun's stuff."
Kim Dae-hyeong's friendly broadcast, backed by spot-on analysis.
But his gaze toward the mound was ice-cold and sharp.
"Busan High's leadoff hitter, Choo Hyung-woo, is a hitter with exceptional bat control. Song Hyun-jun faces a tough customer right out of the gate in his first at-bat. How he gets past Choo Hyung-woo will decide the fate of this game for Song Hyun-jun and Seomun High."
Kim Dae-hyeong's eloquent words and piercing stare.
In the moment those eyes—his and Jeong Su-young's—turned to the mound, Hyun-jun's first pitch came quick and decisive.
Thwack!!
A rare, gritty delivery.
A fastball exploding out of dynamic motion that poured every ounce of body power into it.
Seeing Hyun-jun's first pitch, Kim Dae-hyeong reacted with pure admiration as a former player.
"Whoa... that ball is fast. His delivery looks like a lefty version of Tim Lincecum!"
Before Kim Dae-hyeong's exclamation could fully land,
"Batter out!"
Hyun-jun struck out Busan High's leadoff hitter Choo Hyung-woo in just three pitches.
Then came the blazing strikeout parade.
"Swing! Strike three!"
The first inning melted away in a flash.
Nine pitches total.
Starting with curves and finishing batters off with four-seamers—Hyun-jun's masterful pitching.
Watching it, Kim Dae-hyeong dropped his analytical edge and let out genuine awe as a former ballplayer.
"Whoa... man, he's really good!"
"Looks like commentator Kim Dae-hyeong is quite impressed with pitcher Song Hyun-jun's stuff."
"Yes! He is really good, Song Hyun-jun. Velocity, breaking balls, control—he's got it all. And the guts not to back off after two strikes! Seomun High has another all-time prospect on their hands."
One inning was all it took to get the sense.
Song Hyun-jun, the pitcher.
He was already beyond prospect level.
"Hahaha, that pitcher's good enough to anchor a pro rotation right now! I can almost hear the team scouts and GMs scrambling."
Just as Kim Dae-hyeong said.
The pro team officials and scouts at Mokdong Baseball Stadium.
Their calculators were working overtime.
"Strikes out Choo Hyung-woo on three pitches?"
"Song Hyun-jun's at that level...?"
"We expected more velocity, but... Song Hyun-jun's a lock for at least third round in this draft."
"Second round or higher. I think his value's even bigger than that."
The scouts rapidly revising Hyun-jun's value upward.
The most aggressive among them was Devils scout Seo Ji-hoon, as expected.
Nodding at Hyun-jun's first-inning work, he spoke in a heavy voice.
"We need to use our Devils territorial pick on Song Hyun-jun."
Chief scout Cha Seong-won, sitting beside him, asked in surprise.
"What? Territorial pick? You mean use our first-round pick on Song Hyun-jun right now?"
"Yes. Aren't you seeing this with your own eyes?"
"But... Shin Su-ho and Sa Seung-jun haven't decided on MLB yet. If the Angels take Shin Su-ho, wouldn't it be better for us to grab Sa Seung-jun? We could get Song Hyun-jun in the second-round first pick... wait, no. In the second round, we have to consider Baek Kang-ho or Seo Baek-san too. It's not easy snagging genius hitters like that. Especially Busan High's Baek Kang-ho—he's a once-in-a-century monster batter."
Cha, still punching numbers.
Seo Ji-hoon stated firmly, looking at him.
"They'll get snatched!"
"What?"
"Baek Kang-ho and Seo Baek-san are obviously getting territorial picked first-round by the Titans and Fighters anyway. We can't let other teams steal our eyes off them and miss out on the next national team ace, Song Hyun-jun!"
"What...? National team ace? You're saying Song Hyun-jun's already at that prospect level?"
"Song Hyun-jun isn't just a prospect anymore. He's growing in real-time with those nine pitches—a pitcher who's going to be our team's next ace!"
It was the first time Cha had seen it.
Seo Ji-hoon, the scout who always proposed promising players with calm composure.
His recommendations always hit.
Players he said would break out did, and even seemingly bright prospects vanished like ghosts in the pros if Seo said no.
And now Seo Ji-hoon.
For the first time, dropping all reserve to strongly recommend a pitcher.
Song Hyun-jun.
"Let's watch him face Baek Kang-ho first before deciding."
"Chief."
"If Song Hyun-jun's really the next national team ace-level like you say, he should handle a genius like Baek Kang-ho just fine, right?"
At Cha's response, Seo Ji-hoon bit his lip.
If Song Hyun-jun was truly ace material, he'd need to beat Baek Kang-ho.
But,
'Can Song Hyun-jun, still in the middle of his growth spurt, really beat the already complete monster batter Baek Kang-ho...?'
Even Seo Ji-hoon couldn't confidently say.
Baek Kang-ho was currently the top home run hitter in the country.
'Hyun-jun, be careful with Baek Kang-ho. His talent has already far surpassed high school baseball!'
Seo Ji-hoon's worried gaze turned back to Hyun-jun, ascending the mound in the top of the second.
The mound.
It felt unfamiliar.
This was my territory—more familiar to a pitcher than his own living room.
Yet suddenly, this familiar space felt alien.
"Ah...!"
A wave of dizziness hit me.
The overflowing confidence and fighting spirit throughout my body.
All gone.
One thing had changed.
The batter stepping into the box.
Crack!
Baek Kang-ho.
Different. Completely different.
His massive frame, easily over 190 cm, was impossible to believe belonged to a high schooler.
Towering height, hulking build—every inch packed with muscle.
Crunch!!
Just shifting his stance made his Busan High uniform strain like it might burst, his whole body rippling.
And under the helmet, those laser-like eyes piercing through the dark shadows.
Like facing a tiger.
It didn't feel human.
A giant.
As the massive giant entered the batter's box, I couldn't even breathe properly.
By rule, the mound was 25.4 cm higher than the plate.
Yet it felt like the batter was looking down at me.
"Play ball!"
I caught my breath at the umpire's call to resume.
"Hoo—"
Even a long exhale didn't calm me.
The game against Yushin High two days ago.
Park Jin-woong's words facing Seo Baek-san hit home now.
"No pitch to throw..."
Facing off with Baek Kang-ho.
Park Jin-woong's words echoed in my ears.
Pat.
I grabbed the rosin bag with my left hand, coating my palm thick with powder.
My sweaty hands might slip the ball.
"Alright. Let's do this!"
I stoked my fighting spirit.
I needed conviction.
Deok-gu's sign for the first pitch against Baek Kang-ho.
"..."
Unusually late on the pitch call.
I signaled first.
Swish.
Two left fingers extended, tapped to my right shoulder.
Four-seamer sign.
Deok-gu hesitated a moment, then carefully set his mitt to receive.
Nod.
I straightened my stance and gently rolled the ball in my glove with my fingertips.
Click.
The four-seamer grip settled perfectly in my hand.
Good. Spot on.
Ready to fire a powerful four-seamer to any spot and cook the batter.
Then, looking at Deok-gu—and the batter—for the throw.
"..."
I couldn't throw.
My body tingled like electrocuted.
Every cell screamed one warning.
Throw there, it's a home run.
A four-seamer to that spot gets crushed for sure.
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly and aimed elsewhere.
Inside.
Chest tightened.
Outside.
Hand went limp.
Upper inside.
Sweat beaded on my scalp.
Upper outside.
Fingertips numbed.
...Low.
No good.
Then... lower inside? Lower outside?
Zing! Zing!
What...?
I tried far off the strike zone, just in case.
Felt okay.
Batter won't touch a ball that far out.
Narrow it a bit, graze the zone?
Ziiing!
Ah...!
A short sigh, grip change.
This time, fork.
Ziiiing!
Even worse pressure than the four-seam.
Dead certain he'd uppercut the fork into a homer.
Then... slider?
Useless.
Inside, he'll pull it for homer; outside, pull it anyway.
My best pitch, the curve?
"..."
Baek Kang-ho's sharp eyes pierced even my kill-shot curve's path.
This beast of a hitter would time the drop and casually clear the left-field wall.
No spot, no pitch.
Nothing to fool or strike him out with.
"...This can't be real."
Was it all illusion?
Overwhelm from facing a power hitter?
Snap out of it. Game's on TV.
I pretended to pick at the mound, raised one hand to signal the ump, then stomped the rubber with my spikes.
Then Deok-gu, sensing my weird vibe, stood and raised both hands.
"Time! Mind if I visit the mound quick?"
"Yeah."
Umpire okayed, Deok-gu came up.
I was straight with him.
"Deok-gu, no safe pitch."
He bowed his head gravely at my words.
"Yeah, I feel it too. No matter the spot or pitch I call, feels like he'll homer anything."
"You too...?"
"His aura from the plate is terrifying. Even a foul-off feels like it'd clear the fence."
"Good. Not just me."
"What do we do?"
I smirked at Deok-gu's question.
"Throw. Scared of battle? Not a starter."
Pitchers throw.
Fear the batter's pressure and hesitate? No starter cred.
"Ditch the fork."
"Yeah, his stance is open by default. He'll uppercut any sinker like lightning for homer."
"Right. So scrap changeup and curve too."
"Hm... your curve's got great break. Rely on that path?"
"No. He'll read it like a ghost."
Ridiculous.
Crisis from a batter I'd never faced.
But instinct screamed.
No sinking balls.
This monster wouldn't swing and miss breakers—every nerve told me.
"Then...?"
"Two-seam, slider. Count with those, pick pitch and spot on the fly."
"Two-seam? Not four?"
"Yeah. Tail different from usual. Need you to snag it, Deok-gu."
My fastballs were all four-seamers.
But now, even that scrapped.
"Can't overpower him with my stuff yet."
Conviction.
At 2,100 rpm, no chance against Busan High's cleanup.
Not even Park Jin-woong or Shin Su-ho's power.
"No four-seams or sinkers. Win with movement. And... use that in this game."
Decision made.
"Got it!"
Deok-gu perked up and headed back.
"Play ball!"
Game resumed.
I gritted my teeth, shook off the pressure.
Fired the first pitch as discussed with Deok-gu.
Phat!!
First one: two-seamer.
Dove in like strike zone, then tail off outside to righty.
Just a hair off the zone, a ball.
This season, never thrown a first-pitch ball.
But against Baek Kang-ho, ditched the script for different first pitch.
No way he crushes this.
Before the thought finished.
Crack!!!
"Huh...?"
A gasp escaped.
Like he was waiting, Baek Kang-ho's full swing crushed the tailing outside two-seamer.
"Insane...!"
Couldn't recover from follow-through, eyes chased the ball.
"Whoaaa...!"
Crowd gasped at the sky-scraping drive to right.
Distance? Easily 130 meters plus. Monster shot.
"Foul!"
Foul homer, out of play.
One meter left, clean homer.
Drip.
Sweat trickled from scalp to forehead, audible.
Pushed that far...? Off outside tail?
Electric thrill coursed through me.
One first-pitch battle.
Seeing Baek Kang-ho's foul rocket, that distant sense snapped back.
Smirk.
I grinned.
Pat pat.
Mound and rubber firm underfoot again.
Yeah, this.
No fun cruising to title without real foes.
True fire in worthy fights.
My eyes gleamed.
To match Baek Kang-ho's tiger aura blazing full-body.
Eyes wide, unleashed the second pitch for him.
Phat!
Baek Kang-ho's eyes flashed, seizing chance.
Bat swung to split baseball, lunging at the inside jammer.
And.
Snap!!!
Baek Kang-ho's bat shattered, ball sailed harmlessly to third-base stands.
Two strikes.
Batter realized he got worked, shot me a stunned smirk.
"...Cutter?"
Yeah, how's that tight-inside cutter taste?
Your bat? I'll split it all in half today.
That thought fueled my smirk back at Busan High's cleanup.